


Casino Crawl

by cloudinkling



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Emphasis on age gap but all characters are 40+, Gambling, Heavy PDA, M/M, Smoking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-06-10 03:29:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15282609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloudinkling/pseuds/cloudinkling
Summary: "Is it cheating if we know each other?" Jake asked.The dealer shook her head. "It's only cheating if you tell the other what your hand contains," she said.





	Casino Crawl

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Grubbutts](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grubbutts/gifts).



James placed the chips down on the poker table and dragged Bro onto his lap. Bro grinned at the other players at the table who watched them curiously but were either too drunk to care or didn't care. Jake snickered as he sat down next to James and held Bro's hand while James’ left hand remained firmly on Bro’s thigh.

"Is it cheating if we know each other?" Jake asked.

The dealer shook her head. "It's only cheating if you tell the other what your hand contains," she said.

"And if we share the same good luck charm?" Jake winked at Bro.

"As long as you don't mind the luck being split," she said, grinning. Then she dealt the cards in a swift and efficient manner that spoke to her experience.

The casino rank of cigarette and cigar smoke. If the casino goers were careless about their alcohol spilling it wasn’t something Bro could tell since the carpet looked clean and neat. More than likely it was because there were ashtrays at every table and slot machine. There were quite a few waiters and waitresses wandering around with trays of drinks, menus, and the option to purchase more smokes.

James removed his hand as he considered his cards and even Jake seemed to withdraw interest in their good luck charm as he checked his own hand. Bro looked at both of their hands and snorted. All they had to do was exchange one or two cards and they'd have decent decks, but as it was, Bro wasn't going to help them cheat or learn what the other held. In fact, he resented that he was delegated to the good luck charm just because he was the young hot blonde. Even if he was good trophy wife material. He probably played poker better than both of them.

The other players eyed Bro for a moment, probably worried that he was going to spill what his lovers held in each of their hands or that Bro was thinking of snooping on their hands, but Bro had better things to do. He turned in James' lap attempting to get more comfortable and cradled James' head with his hands. James eyed him, but when Bro did nothing other than to remove his hat and brush his hands through James' hair he turned his attention back to the game.

Bro allowed them to play the first round without any problems. James lit his pipe on the second round and the sweeter scent of the tobacco drowned out the smoke. Bro stared at James’ pipe and watched as he lit up the top and mashed down the tobacco into the pipe. He’d seen James smoke his pipe before but not this close, and he rarely watched him actually light it up.

James glanced at him, eyes warm underneath his thick brows. Bro suppressed a shudder from the heat that steamed through him. “Here I thought the pipe was just for looks,” Bro said.

“Would you like to try?” James asked. He held the pipe out to Bro as he carefully released the smoke in his mouth. “Can't imagine a young man like you being interested in an old man's smoking pipe."

"You're not that old," Bro said. James, Bro knew, was pushing into his fifties and Jake was in his late sixties, which meant that he was younger even in his forties, but when he looked at Dave he always felt much older. He was even getting gray hairs.

Bro gently removed the pipe from James' mouth and stole his hat in the same fell swoop. If he’d known he’d be playing the part of the trophy wife he would have brought his makeup, dyed his hair, and wore his sequin shirt to really play up the part. Instead, he donned the hat and stuck the pipe in his mouth and showed them off at different angles for both James and Jake.

"How's this?" he asked, grinning at James.

James smiled back and adjusted the hat so it sat properly. "Now you're looking like a handsome man. Just need to figure out how the pipe works," he said.

Bro looked at the pipe. It shouldn't be too hard. He used to smoke for all of five minutes and stopped when he couldn't stand the smell. He puffed on the pipe and James didn't snort, but it was close. He took the pipe back from Bro and gently sucked in the smoke before releasing it.

"Like that," he said, handing the pipe back to Bro.

"James, stop making us wait while you show Ambrose how to be an old fogey," Jake said, leaning around Bro.

Bro arched his brows at Jake and gently blew the pipe smoke at Jake who wrinkled his nose. "He at least knows how to be a gentleman," Bro said.

"Obviously not," Jake grumped. He pulled Bro into his lap while James' played his hand. "Or, if he is, he's not teaching you properly. Don't you know better than to blow smoke in other's faces?"

"Yes," Bro said. He took another breath of tobacco smoke and blew it in Jake's face. "I just choose to be a dick."

Jake rolled his eyes and knocked the fedora down on Bro's face while Bro tried really hard not to laugh. He swatted the fedora back up into place and kicked his feet up into James' lap. Gotta keep his good luck on all parties. He glanced at the dealer who was struggling not to smile at them and felt like he was doing a good days work. Maybe he would drop some of his business cards around. He couldn't find a finer place than Vegas to pick up some new customers.

The other players didn't seem to enjoy their antics as much as the dealer did, but they also couldn't complain because Jake was absolutely terrible at poker and James didn't know how to hide a good hand. Of course, Bro wasn't helping much in that aspect.

"Jake, I'm thinking that you should probably sit out on the next round," Bro said. He grabbed a margarita from a waiter walking by and took a swig. "Let my good luck go to some use." He winked at Jake who spluttered.

"Now, see here young man," Jake said. "I know how to play."

"Oh, then your good luck charm is all distracting you?" he asked. He bit off the olive and licked the umbrella clean before tucking it behind Jake's ear. "It'll be okay. One of the things you learn from getting old is when to give up and let the better man take the hand."

"Well, if you think you can do better," Jake murmured and squeezed Bro's thigh. Bro was above the flushing and swooning stage of his life (Except for the drama. He was always ready to swoon for the drama.), but he didn't ignore the way Jake's touch sent shivers through him.

Instead of sitting properly like the other players, Bro stayed where he was at, and soaked in the attention that James and Jake gave him. James massaged his calf and Jake peppered kisses along his face and hair while Bro took over the hand. He didn't win the first round, but he blamed that on Jake having messed up the hand by virtue of touching it. The next round he won and Jake snorted.

"Maybe I'm the good luck charm," he said.

"We could always test your theory," James said. He winked salaciously at Jake.

"Nuh-uh, I'm the one who saved his hand," Bro said. "Jake stays with me. I don't trust you to respect his honor."

"I'm the most honorable person at this table," James said. "Besides, Jake is the one feeling you up. I have to make sure that you're playing fair."

"I think the dealer is probably the most honorable person," Bro said.

Jake sat up and set Bro back down in the chair, muscles rippling. Bro was lying before. He would swoon for moves like that.

"You can't leave me after picking me up like I'm nothing more than a twig," Bro said. Jake smirked as he sat on James' lap now, and dropped his legs in Bro's lap.

"Maybe if you win this one I'll come back to you. WInner gets my hand," Jake said.

Bro glanced at James. James arched his eyebrow. It was on.

He lost the first game and he blamed it on both the cards and the way James and Jake would kiss and murmur together as if they were in on a little secret that Bro wasn't privy, too. It was unnerving in the way that Bro sometimes felt as though he was the odd one out. That James and Jake were adults and he was still nineteen fighting to scrap enough money to buy food, let alone a tie.

He had plenty of his own luck and he didn’t need Jake’s. His luck showed up in the next deal where the cards lined up as he needed them in each turn and he laid down a winning hand.

"Didn't know I could play, huh?" he asked.

"Well, you certainly played something," James said, laying down his own cards. It was a royal flush to his straight flush. "Just not the winning hand."

He should have known anything straight wouldn't work out for him. "I demand a rematch," Bro said.

"Sorry, bud, but you're out of chips," the dealer said. "Or, rather, your partner is out of chips."

"Whoops!" Jake said, grinning. He flicked a chip from James’ pile between his fingers.

"I have been conned by these two gentlemen and demand retributions," Bro said.

James glanced at Jake, a grin forming on his lips that Bro found far too similar to John's to be comforted. James asked, "What kind of retributions were you thinking of, Ambrose?"

"Maybe we should take this somewhere else?" Jake murmured, eyeing the dealer.

Bro sat back. "I was thinking the punishing kind."

"Of course, that's the only kind of retribution there is. "

The dealer was laughing at them and wasn't even kind enough to hide it. "Golf," Bro said.

"What?" James asked, amused.

"My punishment is golf," Bro said. "You have to go golfing with me tomorrow."

"Isn't this more of a punishment for you?" Jake asked.

Bro smirked. Jake, he knew, never golfed before. James was going to be a wild card because he was a businessman. Maybe he played putt-putt in his office, but Bro could handle it. "Nope, I just want to see a couple of dudes stuff some holes."

Jake leaned in. "We could do that back at the hotel room," he murmured, waggling his eyebrows.

"That wouldn't punish you," Bro said, pushing Jake back with a grin.

“Gentlemen, I’m still playing here,” James said, glancing at the two of them.

“Don’t mind us. We’ll be your trophy husbands,” Bro said. “You just do your best, baby.”

There were three other people playing at the table now and most of them were down to their last chips. They probably had not realized what they were getting into by playing this table and it didn’t take long for James to win the chips from the other two players. It was edging in towards midnight when the player folded and James took the rest of the chips.

Bro sounded out a small whoop, giving the time and the fact that he was pretty sure there was someone sleeping over a slot machine. James grinned and rubbed a tired hand over his face before kissing both Bro and Jake.

“Well played,” Jake murmured. His mustache tickled at Bro’s face. “Next time we should play strip poker.”

“Your clothes would be gone in the first six rounds,” Bro said.

“Exactly,” Jake said.

James snorted. “Well, I’m exhausted. I haven’t stayed up this late playing games since I was a young man in college. Even Ambrose looks tired.”

“I’m not that tired,” Bro said. He checked his phone and took a deep breath that was almost a yawn, but not quite. He stood up. “It is later than I prefer, and since we’re going golfing early in the morning…”

“We’re still getting punished even though we won together?” James asked, holding his hand out for Bro to help him get up.

Bro swallowed and took the hand. His heart was tripping out. Together. “That. Well.” He stumbled over his words. “But golf?”

“I wouldn’t mind golfing if it was in the afternoon. It would be a good teaching experience,” Jake murmured, standing up. James nodded, agreeing.

Bro gauged the costs and benefits. “We could go in the afternoon,” he said, slowly.

James smiled.

“Okay, sure, we’ll go in the afternoon,” Bro said. “Since we won this thing together.”

**Author's Note:**

> This thing kept wanting to grow, but unfortunately, I did not have the time to actually let it grow the way it wanted to. I hope you enjoy!


End file.
